Where Are They Now: Frontline Workers

LIKE Perspex in shops, sanitising your hands after sneezing directly into them and displaying common courtesy by not standing close enough to lick the neck of the person in front of you in a queue, ‘frontline workers’ were a phenomenon of the pandemic that thankfully are no longer part of our lives.

Frontline workers were hospital staff such as nurses, doctors, porters, cleaners, and ward attendants who worked day and night to keep our loved ones safe during COVID-19. However, following the end of the crisis these frontline workers reverted back to simply being hospital staff such as nurses, doctors, porters, cleaners and ward attendants who work day and night to keep our loved ones safe.

“As with all relics of the pandemic, you still see traces of frontline workers here and there. For example, some still have the ‘frontline worker’ sticker on their car windshield, harkening back to a time when that meant something to people,” said one Covid historian we spoke to.

“You also see some hospital staff who are still waiting on the ‘pandemic recognition payment’ that was promised to them by the government but never delivered. It’s sad that these people don’t realise that the world has moved on – the pandemic is over, you’re not getting your €1,000. Deal with it. God, some of these people forget the number of times – twice, in my instance – that we all stood on our doorsteps clapping for them”.

NOTE: If you see a frontline worker out during the daytime, they may be lost or confused. Please return them to a hospital so they can continue their 19-hour shift.